Style 'icons'

I don't like it when people refer to their inspirations as 'icons'. If you speak greek, you know that icon means a picture of a deity. Something that you worship. And however stylish someone is... I don't worship them. So instead, I present to you, quite simply, the people that influence my style:

A bit of Patti Smith. OK, so Patti isn't the most conventionally beautiful woman in the world, nor does she try to be for that matter, but style-wise she's very interesting. In her memoir Just Kids, she taks about how she would choose her clothes, rendering homage or making herself into a pastiche of a character, a mood, an era, a celebrity. They were a bit like costumes. I like the fact that clothes can do that -give off a certain mood, reference something (remember my Almodovar-inspired outfit?). And of course, how can I not love the slightly ratty, androgynous, minimalistic clothes -the white shirt with the cut-off cuffs, the suspenders and the blazer nonchalantly slung over her shoulder- on the cover of Horses, shot by Robert Mapplethorpe? (the music's pretty good, too ;))

Emmanuelle Alt. Currently, the fashion world raves about her: she's called the epitome of French chic. Personally, I find her style very normcore*, safe and predictable. It's not extraordinary. But I like its simplicity, its rock-chic vibe (always in a subtle and tasteful way!) and the fact that she focuses on quality and fit. Signature look: Perfectly tailored blazer, simple neutral top, cropped skiny pants/jeans and pointy pumps. I like the idea of a perfected uniform that she exemplifies.

Annie Hall from Woody Allen's Annie Hall. Again, such a cliché, but I love how Diane Keaton dresses in this movie (also in Manhattan -obviously I've already copied her look here ;)): she's comfortable, charming, quirky and slightly goofy all at the same time in her menswear-inspired (or, often, just plain menswear) outfits... AND she's a funny lady, which is always a plus! 

Jane Birkin: I don't really know that much about her (yet), but I think that taking a basket and deciding to make it your handbag (and ignoring what everyone else might think and just doing whatever you think is cool AND managing to make it look like the most natural thing in the world, the opposite of contrived...) is brilliant! And she just does the whole effortless vibe thing so well -effortless perfect hair, chic, understated, bohemian clothes... I watched La Piscine the other day -didn't like the film, but Birkin's wardrobe and her 'yeux de biche' eye makeup kept me entertained :) 

And finally... my mom. The woman that started everything. The woman whose wardrobe I've coveted since I can remember and whose closet I still raid when I visit home. The woman that keeps -almost- everything (she still has clothes from the 70's, I'm pretty sure) -and thank god for that, because there are quite a few treasures hidden in her closet! The woman who drilled into me no-nonsense style lessons: focus on quality. Wear natural fabrics. Don't pay attention to trends. Less is more -be simple. Obviously, like with the other women on this list, I don't follow all of her advice: I've yet to understand her predilection for continent-sized underwear and I still sometimes can't help buying cheap shoes, but I really look up to her. Do I worry that I'm turning into her? No -I put my own spin on the things that I take from her. And besides, even if I do end up exactly like my mother... I really don't think I'll mind! :)

Most of these women aren't particularly feminine, but I think there's a lot of femininity to be found in the completely simple, the non-evocative (or perhaps deceivingly evocative), the liminal. Femininity that doesn't proclaim itself with shouts but plays hide-and-seek and teases you. Femininity of a woman confident enough that she doesn't feel the need to prove anything to anyone. 

Another thing that I like about these styles: it's not about the label. OK, Emmanuelle Alt probably dresses in Saint Laurent and Céline, but she doesn't wear fashion houses' logos emblazoned across her like a walking multi-million dollar advert. You could get the same clothes made by a seamstress or buy similar pieces from another shop, and it wouldn't matter, because her style is about the clothes and the look that they convey. Patti Smith got her clothes from charity shops most of the time. These days she dresses in Demeulemeester and other designers, but you would never know: she has the same punk, androgynous but carefully constructed look she bore all those years ago. 

I'll leave you to ponder on this style-ideology-philosophy-ontology-nostalgia-manifesto session for now... until the next installment ;)

*check out my ruminations on normcore here.

Light packing

...I'm out of here. I love Amsterdam, but it's time to honour my "very fortunate origins", as a friend put it. So, time to pack. Different year, same shit concept. Except this time around I'm cutting all the crap and really challenging myself: 1+ month with only a 10kg carry-on suitcase. Last year, I made a big deal out of packing 'only' 25kg, and then didn't even end up needing all the stuff I brought. This year, I'd rather spend the luggage fees on my holiday instead. And since all I'll be doing is lying in the sun and strolling around, there's no need for much more than bikinis and shorts. That said, some tough decisions had to be made (I have too many summer clothes...).

Here's how packing 10kg for a month-long holiday happens.

1. First, make a list.* **
-about 10 tops (you can do laundry, you know!)
-around 9 bottoms (OK, maybe less -but don't forget a pair of long pants for chilly nights and maybe a skirt)
-dresses: I'm not much of a dress girl, so I only packed one for going out and 2 cover-up dresses for the beach.
-1 denim shirt and 1 cotton sweater for when it gets chilly
-3 bikinis (who needs more? not me) and a hat for the beach. And sunglasses.
-a week's worth of underwear. And I end up wearing my bikini tops as bras most of the time so no need to pack many bras.
-3 pairs of shoes, + flip flops. And then again, I could've done with less, but I'm a shoe girl. Keep in mind that shoes are heavy, though.
-1 canvas bag, 1 small hands-free bag and a big tote for the plane (to cart all my books and my laptop around)
-cotton shorts to be worn with a t-shirt as PJs
-few accessories: I packed a belt and three pairs of earrings.

Of course, I couldn't resist arranging my 'summer capsule wardrobe' by colour on my clothes rack and showing it off -it just makes me happy!*** I think it's a good reflection of what I usually wear: a whole lot of neutrals (black, some white, and shades of grey and sand/brown) and some colour (mainly blue).

2. Here's how you make it fit in your carry-on:
Roll everything tightly and pack it in your suitcase without leaving any empty spaces. If you were planning on taking things that need 3 hours of ironing, forget it... or get your mom to iron it when you get there ;) It's the holidays after all, who wants to worry about wrinkles?

3. Don't use a hundred million different vanity cases and pouches -they take up space and weight. Squeeze the smaller stuff in any gaps left.

4. Most important thing of all: Don't take a huge nécessaire. You can buy your big bottles of shampoo and sunscreen there. If you're a hundred years old and you have a 21-step skin routine, that's another story but leave your 37 hair products at home. As for makeup: take the absolute basics. You won't need much makeup at the beach(!) and anyways you wear less makeup when it's hot. I packed tinted sunscreen, foundation, 2 lipcolours, 1 eyeshadow, 1 eyebrow/eye pencil, eyeliner and mascara.

5. What am I reading this summer, you ask? Voilà. Happy holidays!

* Be ruthless. Do you really think you're gonna wear that? Don't take things 'just in case'. Only take the things you love.
** I love lists, can you tell?
***As does this video in which my friend used my (complete) colour-coded wardrobe as an example of obsessive-compulsive behaviour... oops. Oh well, I think it looks really good actually! :)

Doe Normaal!

Here's another article I wrote for Scriptus -I forgot to post it here but better late than never! 

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Doe normaal!

While the rest of Scriptus* celebrates flamboyant wizards (think Dumbledore’s hats and beard adornments) and colourfulness, I have opted to differ by introducing about fashion’s latest development, normcore. Paradoxically enough, this trend proclaims that being cool is being normal, boring even: it is about not standing out. Yes, dear reader: continuing with last issue’s meta-theme, normcore is fashion negating itself, fashion trying to not look fashion-y (that is, glamorous and spectacular). The term was coined only last October by a ‘trend agency’which claims that “there's an exhaustion with trying to seem different.”. According to them, normcore “moves away from a coolness that relies on difference to a post-authenticity that opts into sameness” (whatever that means). The idea seems to be rejecting the notion of using clothes to assert one’s unique identity: for normcore, dressing up, making an effort, is trying too hard (hence the return of comfortable and even ugly shoes to fashion). But although they are associated with “the idea that one doesn’t need their clothes to make a statement”, ‘normcore’ clothes, too, make their own statement: “I don’t need clothes or fashion to show that I’m special”.

Make no mistake, however: normcore is not anti-fashion. In fact, it has been fully integrated into fashion: lately, many designers**, with Céline as their leading example, have been presenting simple, monochromatic, non-flashy clothes –and are of course cashing in on our ‘rejection’ of fashion. They have also popularized traditionally ugly, practical items of clothing that no self-respecting fashionista would dare be seen in a few years ago, the most ubiquitous example being Birkenstock-type sandals (bonus points if you wear them with socks!).

So what does this bland, blank way of dressing say? It is pretty hypocritical: Although it claims to rebel against fashion, it is actually just another fashion trend, albeit one that allows for less diversity and creativity. Fashion is important because it gives people options, the possibility to express their personality or mood with their clothes. Normcore, on the other hand, negates one of the most important things that fashion offers us: the opportunity to have fun with our image, to be creative and even a little extravagant.

 On the other hand, getting over this minor identity crisis (“am I just another unsuspecting victim of trends and ideology?”), and realizing that there’s little we can do to change the fact that normcore influences the way we dress, let’s have a look at the bright side of things: normcore might not be so bad after all. For starters, you no longer need impossibly high heels to look cool –quite the opposite, in fact. Clothes must now be comfortable, and the wearer must feel at ease in them (something that, admittedly, has not been a major concern for fashion in the past). Secondly, wearing clothes that are pared-down and simple in design allows to direct the focus more towards details such as fit and quality. When everyone is wearing jeans, the way to ‘do fashion’ (or in this case, normcore) right is to find jeans that fit you well and flatter your body type. When everyone is wearing black blazers, you want yours to be well-cut and made from a nice fabric –and so on. This (hopefully) allows consumers to have more agency: the benefit of embracing ‘boring’, basic, normcore style is that, rather than focusing on what is in, the consumer will concentrate on their own needs. When essentially every store has a version of a basic garment, the consumer no longer has to settle for anything less than perfect –provided that money is no object, of course.

*more or less

**who were obviously promptly copied by Zara, etc. etc.